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Asa Taccone
| birth_place = Berkeley, California | origin = | death_date = | death_place = | genre = | occupation = Musician | instrument = | years_active = 2001-present | label = | associated_acts = Electric Guest The Lonely Island | website = | notable_instruments = }} Asa Taccone is a musician and the lead singer of the band Electric Guest. Early life Asa Taccone was born on September 21, 1983 to Suellen and Tony Taccone (a theater director) in Berkeley, California. His brother, Jorma Taccone, is a member of The Lonely Island. He is of Dutch, English, German, Irish, mixed Italian and Puerto Rican, Scottish and Swedish ancestry.Hurwitt, Robert (July 5, 2006), "Tony Taccone: Riding high on his recent successes, theater veteran has big plans for Berkeley Rep". Chronicle Theater Critic. Retrieved February 22, 2016. His interest in music began playing trumpet in his elementary school choir during religious holidays; the choir director included a bongo section where he and other children could sing and play the drums. During high school, he became interested in jazz, continuing to play trumpet in the band.Shedden, Iain (June 16, 2012), "Nice and cheesy". The Australian :10 Taccone was eventually kicked out his high school, and sent to a boot camp that he could only leave on the weekends.SWIFT, JACQUI (April 19, 2013), "WELCOME GUEST". The Sun :55 While there, he began to frequent a local Dunkin Donuts. There, he met an elderly woman who remarked that he was "an electric guest of the universe."Gotch, Kristin (May 7, 2012), "An Interview with Electric Guest". PopMatters. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Career Taccone had long been a fan of hip/hop music, and was influenced by Bay-area rappers like Souls Of Mischief, E-40, and Mac Dre.Kauffman, Alexia (May 3, 2012), "Q&A with Electric Guest". We Love DC. Retrieved February 22, 2016. He moved on to synths and started producing hip/hop music. However, he began to grow weary of the "bullshit" of the hip-hop world, and one day—after visiting an incarcerated friend—another inmate recognized Taccone, requesting to work with him after his release. The incident rattled him, and he left the genre for good. His already budding interest in 1960s music took off, and he begin making music the stemmed from that era. Taccone's older brother, Jorma, joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live in 2005, and enlisted Asa in composing music for the show's Digital Shorts.Beer, Jeff (May 19, 2009), "Black Iris' Asa Taccone Talks SNL Skit Soundtracks". Adage.com. Retrieved February 25, 2016. Jorma asked his friend Brian Burton (professionally known as Danger Mouse) to listen to some of Asa's music over the phone.(November 27, 2012), "Electric Guest on World Cafe". NPR. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Burton provided positive feedback, encouraging the younger Taccone to continue making music. At the age of 24, Asa made the move from his hometown to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.Mathieson, Craig (July 27, 2012), "Depths of their soul". The Sydney Morning Herald. :Metro, 5. Burton recommended that Asa take his former room in a boarding house full of musicians.Rolling Stone staff (April 11, 2012), "Danger Mouse Reveals Why He Produced Electric Guest's Debut Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 25, 2016. Initially, Taccone found it difficult to collaborate with others creatively, after years of writing alone. He kept "grinding", producing and writing music for projects that included Digital Shorts on comedy show Saturday Night Live, as well as scores for his father's theatrical productions, making enough money to support himself as his own music. Reception The Guardian calls Taccone "a strutting junior Jagger with an androgynous falsetto prepared to front EG's tunes with as much gall as it takes."Lester, Paul (March 7, 2012), "Electric Guest (No 1,223)". The Guardian. Retrieved February 25, 2016. Discography :This is his work as a solo artist. For his work with his band, see Electric Guest#Discography. Recordings *One Unit at a Time and 2 more Various - The Network 2003 *The Lonely Island - Incredibad 2009 *Take You Home and 2 more - Joyo Velarde - Love & Understanding 2010 *Motherlover - The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain 2011 *Anna - Charlotte Gainsbourg - Stage Whisper 2011 *Gildas* & Jerry* - Kitsuné Soleil Mix 2012 *The Lonely Island - The Wack Album 2013 *The Lonely Island - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Original Soundtrack) 2016 Theater *''Bridge and Tunnel'' (2006) - MusicAsch, Amy; Viagas, Robert (August 2007), The Playbill Broadway Yearbook, :Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 28, ISBN 1557837325 *''Taking Over'' (2009) - MusicHodges, Ben (November 2009), Theatre World 2008-2009: The Most Complete Record of the American Theatre, :Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 341, ISBN 1423473698 *''Lemony Snicket’s The Composer Is Dead'' (2010) - Film underscoringHarvey, Dennis (December 6, 2010), "Review: ‘Lemony Snicket’s The Composer Is Dead’". Variety. Retrieved March 1, 2016. Awards *2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics – "Dick in a Box"HBO staff (October 21, 2009), "HBO Tops 59th Creative Arts Emmys, NBC Leads Nets". HBO.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016. References Category:Living people Category:1983 births Category:Musicians from Berkeley, California Category:American indie rock musicians Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American people of Swedish descent